


Listen, you can talk to me about anything

by luvtheheaven



Category: Parenthood (2010)
Genre: Abortion, Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Gen, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-18 00:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1409143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvtheheaven/pseuds/luvtheheaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on how things should have played out between Drew & Mark in season 4 episode 13 "Small Victories". Takes the two school hallway scenes as canon & expands on them from there in an AU way. Rated T only because the topics of pregnancy and abortion come up, as they did in the actual episode of the show. Fic will probably end in a pro- Mark/Sarah way. Also, Amy plays a big role. (Originally posted on fanfiction.net on January 11, 2013.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. School Hallway Interactions

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note Rewritten/Edited in February 2014: A huge special thanks goes to Insideavoice from fanfiction.net, who has written two heartbreakingly beautiful Drew from Parenthood fics that I read and adored. If you haven't read them yet, they should be easy enough to find since there aren't that many Parenthood fics about Drew. I highly recommend them. She's a very talented writer.
> 
> Insideavoice from fanfiction.net not only is an awesome writer, but agreed to help me out and beta this for me – my first ever Parenthood fic! ;) Thank you for your proofreading etc. help this time around. ;)
> 
> Drew has probably always been my favorite character on the show. His character is unique in a lot of ways. He's quieter than most characters ever are on TV shows. When it comes to his relationship with Amber, I relate to his side of the sibling dynamic while my brother is more like Amber. Even though my brother is younger than me, he generally is more experienced than me in certain aspects of life and he's wilder like Amber and everything else.
> 
> Mark is definitely one of my favorites too, and I wish he had become a star of the show at some point instead of them writing him out of it completely. I started writing this fic right after 4x13 "Small Victories" had aired, and I had been wishing for a much different ending to season 4, but… oh well.
> 
> I checked before posting this first chapter originally, and there were only 7 fanfics on this fanfiction.net containing "M. Cyr" aka my beloved Mark played by the gorgeous and oh so sweet Jason Ritter. And all of them were Sarah & Mark fics. None were Mark/anyone else. So… this was a first for that site! A Mark/Drew interaction fanfic. I hope you all like it. I got inspired to write something for this episode thinking it'd be a Drew fic but I ended up really wanting to show Mark's point of view and perspective as well. So I compromised and showed both points of view. I think it should work okay. ;)
> 
> The fic may start off quite similarly to what actually happened on the show, but by chapter 5 I really stray into AU territory with Drew and Mark having a conversation that never happened and... well, please keep reading in order to find out more!
> 
> Ask me if you have any questions, and please if you read it, don't forget to review! I hope at least a few people enjoy this. :D
> 
> I've edited and hopefully improved these first 4 chapters before posting chapter 5.

It was a Monday morning, the first day of another work week, and Mark was glad to be back at school. Ever since breaking up with Sarah, weekends had become way more unpleasant for him than the weekdays. He hated to admit it, but he didn't have any truly close friends here in Berkeley. For the past couple of years, the beautiful Braverman woman had occupied so much of his time. He hadn't found it necessary to make an effort to get closer to the other English teachers… or other school faculty who could've become dear friends. Ever since breaking up with Sarah right before Christmas, he found himself strangely at a loss for what to do with his free time on Saturdays and Sundays. He'd gotten cable installed just for Drew, but since the teenager was no longer a part of his life, even turning on the television brought up bad memories and crushed hopes for what could have been between him and Sarah's family. Reading was always a good option, but everything made him think of Sarah in some way or another. The empty apartment and everything about his personal life right now just made him feel so lonely, but when he was at school, for about seven hours a day, he could forget about all of that.

In this large high school which contained over three-thousand students, it was impossible to feel lonely, especially in the mornings when the kids chatted away. Monday mornings were some of the most pleasant, because the kids often had so much to share with their friends who they hadn't seen since Friday. Mark casually glanced outside of his classroom, as he often did before the homeroom bell rang. He took in the atmosphere and enjoyed watching the flow of students in the hallway from all four grades mixing and interweaving in a somewhat predictable and organized type of teenage chaos. He only knew some of the students –the ones that had been in one of his English classes. He kept his eyes pierced specifically for any of those kids he knew, as was his habit. He enjoyed simply observing them, since in his classroom he didn't get to see the same side of their personality that he saw when watching them with their peers in the hallway.

If Drew ever was in the hallway, Mark would get distracted and focus all of his attention on the boy. Drew was the only student at the school who Mark had never taught yet Mark still knew. Drew was special, different than all of the other kids, because Drew… Drew almost officially became his stepson, and Mark had really liked the idea of that. When he broke up with Sarah, he hadn't actually anticipated how much he'd mourn the loss of Drew. As much as he wanted to have a baby of his own with Sarah, being a father-like figure to Drew would've been nice in its own way, too. He interacted with teenagers all the time as a teacher, but getting the chance to come home to one was a very new experience for him… one that had been starting to become truly enjoyable. He had been looking forward to a future with Drew in it.

When Mark spotted Drew in the hallway this Monday morning, the boy was walking with his girlfriend, Amy, which was not surprising. What _was_ surprising to Mark was that their usual smiles seemed to have completely disappeared. Drew and Amy were always so cute together whenever he'd previously seen them in school. Amy was one of his best students, and he was so happy for them both. Their smiles reminded him of the first time he had been in love. Even catching Drew and Amy "in the act" had reminded Mark a bit about that first relationship of his, when everything about romantic relationships had been oh-so-very new and exciting. He wished only the best for them. He was aware of a brief "broken-up" period for them earlier this same school year, but still… they had never looked quite like this in the school hallway.

Amy seemed fairly upset, although from where Mark stood, he couldn't honestly tell either way. Drew, the boy who usually barely said two words to anyone, spoke quite quickly to her. Seeing Drew with a lot to say scared him more than a crying high school girl would. It was hard to explain, but it was true. Some of the poor hormonal girls would get teary over just about anything, but he knew Drew well, regardless of the fact that the kid would no longer be becoming his stepson. And he knew Drew never spoke as much as he was right now. He watched them closely. They paused on their journey to their homeroom classes, standing beside a set of lockers, getting quite close to the classroom door where Mark stood, but they didn't notice him. Were they fighting? A girl interrupted them, but it seemed like they hardly noticed.

Amy had started to walk away when Drew grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. It almost looked like Drew had done something to hurt Amy, like he had to explain himself or apologize profusely or something, but Mark couldn't imagine what the boy could have done. He simply couldn't imagine Drew cheating on her or anything like that. Amy lingered now, listening to what her boyfriend had to say. Mark tried his hardest to overhear what they were saying overtop of the other students' voices, regardless of how much of an invasion of their privacy eavesdropping might be. Call him immoral, but Mark wasn't simply curious at this moment. He felt truly concerned for both of them.

"It's gonna be okay," Drew told her comfortingly.

"How can you even…?" Mark heard Amy reply, even though he could only see the back of her head. Drew, Mark could tell, seemed confused. "No," Amy told him, pushing his gentle hands away. "Drew, it's not gonna be okay."

This time when she turned around, Mark could see her very close to tears and clearly more upset than he'd ever seen her. She walked away quickly, right past where Mark stood, and he couldn't help but follow her trail with his eyes, shocked and confused as to what was happening between the two kids. What wasn't going to be okay? He looked back toward Drew, who seemed to immediately realize that the man had witnessed the whole exchange. Drew's eyes went wide for a moment, and Mark couldn't shake the feeling that Drew was afraid Mark knew what they had been talking about. Drew walked away, and Mark tried not to think too much more of it. At least not now, when there was really not much he could do about anything. He'd wait to think more about the whole situation until Amy was in his class for fourth period. Then, while the kids were busy with a class-work assignment, he might take a moment to make sure Amy seemed alright. Perhaps he would even offer to help if it seemed appropriate. All Mark knew right then was that something serious was going on between the teenagers, and he would feel guilty if he just let it go.

* * *

Drew went to his first class of the day, Physics, as if everything was normal. To most of his teachers, he felt sure he appeared to be just fine - his usual quiet self. They had no idea that he was much more distracted on this particular Monday than on _all_ previous Mondays. Not raising his hand in a science class on an average day had more to do with his shyness than actually not knowing the answers, but for once he wasn't even paying enough attention to know what questions were posed. He remembered Amy mentioning that she had a Spanish quiz that morning, and he hoped for her sake that she would be able to focus on it, in a stark contrast to his current _unfocused_ state of mind.

His thoughts jumped all over the place. First he worried about what Mark - or well, "Mr. Cyr" - might have overheard. It had taken him forever to get used to calling the man by his first name and now he had to get used to him being Mr. Cyr again. Drew hated how his mother had been unable to make that relationship last, especially since it had taken him so long to get used to the idea of it. As soon as he was finally ready for the man to be family, his mom had moved on to some other man.

He felt kind of grateful, however, to be able to move back into his grandparents' house, so he could be closer to Amy. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, so did other things, like memories of all the times they'd been able to get away with having sex more easily the past couple of months because they lived so close to each other and could just walk over to the other's house. He tried to remember if there was a time they'd been careless. Amy was on the pill now, but she had only been on it for maybe a month? He tried to figure out where they went wrong. He felt like an idiot, like he must have done something wrong. And now Amy was pregnant. The beautiful, sweet, wonderful girl he loved… the girl who knew him better than anyone in the world, better than his mother or sister… that girl had a baby growing inside of her, a baby that she clearly didn't want.

He became consumed by overwhelming feelings of empathy for what she must have been dealing with for who knows how long. When did she first suspect she was pregnant? Had she been keeping her fears secret from him the last time they hung out? He wondered what she was thinking. Did she want to have an abortion? She seemed so sure that everything would _not_ be okay. That made him think that _maybe_ she was already expecting to go through with all nine months of the pregnancy. Or however many were left. He had no idea how far along into the pregnancy she was. He really should've asked. Or maybe she didn't even know. He had so many other thoughts too; his dad was never the greatest father to his sister nor to him. Drew had made a promise years ago, to no one in particular, that if _he_ ever had his own child, he'd be a better dad. He'd never expected to have to take on that kind of responsibility while still only in high school, though.

All of a sudden the bell rang, marking the end of his last class, but Drew barely heard it. The whole day had gone by this way, in a kind of blur. It took a few seconds for him to register in his mind the fact that everyone around him was grabbing their books and standing up and rushing out of the room, anxious to go home. He slowly got up and made an effort to remember what his usual routine was. He had to go to his locker and grab his coat and put away most of his books, and make sure he had the right ones for his homework that evening. He went through the motions, his mind still a million miles away. He used his locker combination then opened the door. He finished what he needed to do. Once the task was completed, however, he just stood there, staring, completely forgetting that he should be closing his locker and proceeding on his way home. He needed to talk to Amy about this, talk way more than they already had, and he desperately needed to do so _now_. He could not think about anything else. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to focus enough to drive the few minutes it took to get back home.

He thought he heard his name being spoken, but it felt far away, and it took him far too long to realize what was happening. Someone was standing right there, next to him and his locker, waiting for him to respond. He closed his locker quickly, and was suddenly face to face with Mark – or well, Mr. Cyr. Drew was too surprised to even know what to think.

"Hi," Mark said.

"Hey," he replied.

"How's it going?"

"It's fine," Drew answered, realizing that he was saying it a bit too quickly. It was like a reflex; the more "not fine" something was, the quicker he'd blurt out, "It's fine." And today of all days… "it" was everything _but_ fine.

"Is everything okay?" Mark quickly replied, clearly not buying Drew's response. "Um…" Mark hesitated, then glanced around the hallway nervously for a moment before continuing, "…with Amy and everything? It looked like you guys seemed really upset this morning."

There was a part of Drew that wanted to tell the kind man everything, he really did. He instantly could tell the man had good intentions and genuinely wanted to help. Much louder in Drew's mind, however, was the part screaming, "Run away; as quickly as possible!" He needed to get away from the man who had, not quite a whole year ago, broken through his protective walls. In that diner, Mark had let him feel comfortable enough to open up, which had resulted in possibly the most embarrassing moment of Drew's entire life… when he had cried right in front of him.

With that fateful evening in mind, Drew's desire to escape Mark's kindness and make it out of the school in one piece overpowered all else, and before Mark had even finished his sentence, Drew was already interrupting.

"Yeah. I know, I… It's fine, though." Drew wished the man would just let it drop.

"Okay," Mark replied.

Drew began to walk away, hoping he had successfully evaded whatever had been about to happen. He needed to go home… he needed to see Amy.

"Well, no, wait, Drew. Wait, I… um…." Mark wasn't letting him leave. "It just seemed like it was more than a… a fight."

Hearing this, Drew wasn't sure how he was going to convince Mr. Cyr of his lie that everything was fine. He hated lying, but he also hated people who pried when _clearly_ he just wanted to be left alone in this moment.

"Yeah," Drew replied, shrugging. "I don't know. It was…" Drew started, considering explaining that maybe Mark was right, it wasn't a fight, but they were still fine anyway. He was interrupted though.

"And then Amy didn't… show up for class."

Drew was shocked to hear this, but tried not to let it show too much.

"Um…." He wasn't sure what he should say to Mark. "Yeah, I don't know… I don't know where she went. I- I don't- I'm not sure…" Drew stammered. Mark interrupted him again.

"Well, I'm not mad. That's not why I'm… bringing this up. But, Amy _never_ misses class, so I guess I'm just more concerned."

"Yeah, I don't know. I don't-" Drew was repeating himself, not sure of what else to say. He was concerned about Amy too, but he didn't want to tell Mark that. He shrugged once more, not wanting to repeat his words yet again. He hoped it would reinforce that message. He truly had no idea where his girlfriend would have disappeared to in the middle of the school day.

Mark stared back at Drew, and Drew felt like the man was trying desperately to read his mind. Mark seemed to be able to tell he was lying, and they both stood there for a moment, silently, neither one getting what they wanted. Drew still was anxious to escape, but Mark was acting like he hadn't yet gotten what he'd been hoping for out of this conversation. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly while looking at Drew, as if squinting might help him see into Drew's soul more easily. Drew struggled to give off the right vibes to convince Mark to give up, but he knew he was failing miserably. He was even squirming. Why couldn't he just stand still and seem calmer?

"Listen, you can talk to me about anything," Mark said, and Drew realized from his tone that this was his parting remark. Drew snatched up the opportunity to get away as quickly as he could.

"Alright well, cool. Thanks." He finally walked in the opposite direction, grateful that Mark wasn't stopping him. As he left, he considered the words though, and took them to heart. He meant it when he thanked him. It was really nice of him to be so concerned, however annoying it also might be. It was comforting in and of itself to know that Mark cared about him enough to notice what had happened in the hallway between his girlfriend and him that morning, and to truly not be angry about Amy missing class, but merely worried. As he climbed into the driver's seat of his car, Drew found himself wishing his mom really was going to marry Mr. Cyr. He wished it more than he ever had before. He never cared much about his mom's love life, or at least he tried not to care. He'd had his heart set on his parents eventually getting back together for so long that he'd never thought anything even remotely positive about the idea of his mom dating someone else, and especially not the concept of her _marrying_ another man. But now… Drew realized what his mom had seen in Mark, and wondered why he hadn't seen it sooner. Mark was this genuine and caring man. If Amy had this baby, Drew realized Mark would be a prime example of someone to emulate.


	2. Musings on a Wonderful Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is significantly shorter, and it's only Drew's point of view. Chapter 3 will be only Mark's POV. I could've just combined them into a single chapter, but I figured why not just post them separately?
> 
> I've tweaked it/edited it as of February 2014 to make it a bit better. My writing skills have improved since a year ago when I first wrote/first posted this.

Drew's heart was still beating a mile a minute as he drove away from Amy's house and back to his own. It was a very short drive, so he had very little time to calm down. His racing heart was a direct result of Amy's father interrogating them. It was an innocent, casual, everyday type of interrogation that usually would not make Drew the least bit uncomfortable… but this time it was nerve-wracking. It took everything in Drew's power to remain calm and keep up the pretense. The man had no idea Drew had just been scarily close to revealing that something was up. Amy didn't know yet if she wanted her dad to know anything, and Drew understood that. Her parents were great, just like Drew knew his mom was, which only made the decision of whether or not to tell them something huge like this all the more difficult. He parked his car and unbuckled, looking over at the guest house where his mom was probably curled up with a glass of wine and a book to read, considering the late hour. He tried to predict what her reaction might be if he told her everything.

As he walked up the pathway towards the main house, Drew remembered back when he had overheard his mom yelling at his sister about birth control. It must have been a whole six years ago now, back when Amber was still a freshman in high school. Their mother had discovered her wild child was no longer a virgin.

_"You're having SEX?!" Sarah bellowed so loudly that it caused even Amber to cower, if only ever-so-slightly._

_"Uh, yeah, Mom. Relax." Amber covered up any feelings of being intimidated with her tough tone. She regretted nothing. "I'm mature enough. I swear."_

_"You're still a BABY! Fourteen years old?! Oh my God if you only knew how young you still are. Were you even being safe?"_

_"Mom, come on," Amber interrupted. "Let's be real. How old were YOU when YOU got your cherry popped?" She asked it in a playful tone, clearly trying to get on her mom's last nerve. She also, however, was genuinely curious to find out the answer._

_A twelve-year-old Drew was sitting on his bed in their small Fresno apartment. There was no way for him to avoid overhearing this whole heated exchange, regardless of how tired he may have been of his mother and sister fighting all the time._

_"Got my cherry popped? EXCUSE me?!" Sarah was beside herself with frustration and horror._

_"Seriously mom, you couldn't have been much older than I am now. I'm almost fifteen anyway." Amber kept pressing for the answer. Sarah took a deep breath._

_"For your information, missy, I was sixteen, actually. And I was probably too young even at that age!"_

_"Well, whatever. I'm not too young, I promise."_

_"Oh really? So did you use a condom? Wait, how many times have you…" Sarah trailed off, unable to find a euphemism that she'd actually feel comfortable saying when it came to her daughter._

_"We only did it the once, Mom, I swear."_

_"Well one time is enough to get pregnant!" she yelled back at her._

_"What?" Amber replied in shock. Drew's ears had perked up too. He was a little surprised by this information as well._

_"What?!" Sarah echoed back. "You didn't know that? Oh my god. You're going on the pill right now. I am NOT becoming a grandmother before I even turn thirty-five."_

_"Mom, relax, I can take care of myself. I'll use condoms from now on!"_

_"Well good, because dying from AIDS isn't a picnic in the park either!"_

_Drew sighed from behind his closed bedroom door, wondering if his mom even knew that she'd melded together two different expressions._

_"And you'll have to take the pill EVERY SINGLE DAY," Sarah stressed. "Every day. Or else it won't even work. And make sure you're careful to use the condoms too. I'm serious."_

_"So you're okay with me having sex?" Amber said excitedly._

_Drew rolled his eyes. Of course not! But his mom was enough of a realist to realize that Amber was going to be having sex whether or not their mother was okay with it._

When he walked into the house, he tried to make it to the staircase without being noticed. He stepped as quietly as possible, trying to even _breathe_ quietly. Despite his best efforts, Camille caught sight of Drew.

"Hi," she said cordially.

"Hi, Grandma," he responded, hoping his disappointment at being noticed was not audible. She was only being polite, after all.

"What were you doing? You just vanished after dinner."

"Oh, I… I had something to return to Amy. She needed it for her homework tonight," he fibbed. In reality, he had not been able to get ahold of Amy all day. After school he had called her, hoping she'd say they could meet up to talk, but she hadn't answered her phone. He'd called her several times in between trying to concentrate on his homework, but it wasn't until the time when he'd called after dinner that she'd finally picked up. She had said, somewhat begrudgingly, that it was alright for him to come by and they could briefly chat in private, using Drew's mom's car.

"Oh okay," Camille replied, satisfied with the answer. She looked over the boy for another moment, evaluating his demeanor. "You alright? I don't think you said a single word at dinner," she noted. "Are you and Amy doing okay?"

Why was everyone asking that? Why did he have to keep lying to all of these kind, well-meaning adults in his life? No, he and Amy were not doing alright.

"Uh, yeah everything's normal. Just didn't have anything to say," he explained as he started to head up the stairs, lingering with his hand on the railing, waiting for his permission to go back into his bedroom.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you at breakfast, honey," Camille finished, granting him his wish.

Drew could not recall a time when closing his door had been quite this comforting. He finally could be alone for real, safe from prying questions and concern emanating from various adults' eyes. Was he sending out a smoke signal, screaming to the world how overwhelmed he felt? He thought he'd concealed his inner freak-out well, but Camille made him doubt himself.

He realized he and Amy had consummated their relationship right here, on this very bed, during his Uncle Crosby's wedding. His mom hadn't found out they had been sleeping together for months after they'd been successfully getting away with it. She had been so upset to find out Drew and Amy were having sex. He wondered if his mom had ESP and literally knew something like this was going to happen. He had thought his mom and Mark had both overreacted at the time. When his mom had yelled at Amber all those years ago, sure, she'd had a point – Amber wasn't even being _safe_ when she did it. But Drew and Amy were responsible and smart, so nothing could go wrong. But here they were. It had. Something had definitely gone wrong.

He glanced over at his alarm clock. Tomorrow was Tuesday, so he could set it for the regular time. But Wednesday morning… God, he didn't even know what time exactly the appointment would be. Nor where exactly this Planned Parenthood clinic that Amy knew about was. He'd have to ask her for the specific details tomorrow.

The appointment would simply confirm what Amy seemed so sure was already true. She was pregnant. Drew knew his girlfriend well enough to know she wouldn't be this upset if there was really any chance it wasn't true. She even had taken a test already, which had read positive.

She was pregnant. The sentence just kept repeating itself in his head.

All day, it had been such a negative, horrible sentence in his mind. Pregnant girls in high schools were sluts. Guys who got high school girls pregnant were never actually "dads". "Losers" might be the more appropriate word. Getting pregnant was supposed to be the _one thing_ to avoid at all costs. He felt like society as a whole stressed avoiding teen pregnancies as more important than making sure kids graduated high school. Everyone knew getting pregnant was the worst thing that could happen. It was akin to the way everyone knew to avoid the plague.

The sentence repeated itself once again. She was pregnant.

This time, hearing the words in his mind, he imagined what Amy would look like at eight or nine months pregnant. He knew she'd be more beautiful than ever if she was carrying his child, regardless of how big she got… regardless of any other changes it made to her body. He flashed forward even farther in his mind, to a time when Amy was holding a newborn child in her arms – his newborn child. Their newborn child. He was picturing a baby boy, in a tiny blue blanket. He remembered the first time he got to hold Nora, only about a year and a half ago. She seemed so fragile, so beautiful… and he recalled the way the whole family reacted to the baby for months whenever they were near her. The baby had the power to make the atmosphere of any room magical.

Drew wanted his own baby, he realized. He really did. It was scary and crazy to start a family when they were still so young, and if he had a choice he'd like to wait until he was older and really felt ready… but a baby was truly something he wanted. Drew was in love with Amy, and had been for over a year. He couldn't imagine ever falling out of love with her. And the idea of _her_ being the mother of his child… he couldn't imagine a better set of genes to meld with his own in such a permanent way. He knew the biology of conception so well - after all it still was his plan to become a Biology Major when he started college. He visualized the raw science of her ovum and one of his tiny sperms fusing, and creating a permanent bond that established what their kid's DNA would forever be. In his mind, this science was romantic and beautiful – it was a literal, physical marriage of souls. He started to make plans for how it would all work in his head; he couldn't help himself. He knew if they needed their families' support, they'd both have it. It wouldn't be the end of the world. He just knew that regardless of how unexpected this might be, parenthood could be a wonderful thing. He hoped Amy would see things the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to leave me a review! A simple, "I read this and enjoyed it" is SO much better than nothing, I swear. It would make my day! If you have any constructive criticism of my writing for me too, I'd appreciate any and all helpful suggestions you might have to offer.


	3. Attempting to Discern the Kids' Predicament

Mark had been obligated to help a student with her college essay before school Tuesday morning, so he didn't have any time to do the people-watching he had done the previous day. He was kept quite busy for hours, in fact, and almost forgot about how worried he'd been for Drew until Amy showed up in his fourth period English class. When he saw the girl, everything from yesterday came rushing back. He looked at her closely in a futile attempt to discern how she was doing. Despite the fact that he couldn't really tell what was on her mind, he was, at the very least, glad to see her back sitting behind her desk.

"Hey, Amy?" he asked her quietly, as he walked around the room while everyone was getting out their homework assignments to turn in. She, too, seemed to have a sheet of used loose-leaf paper to pull out of a folder. She paused and looked up at him upon hearing her name.

"Yeah?" she replied back. He continued in a low volume.

"I just um… wanted to know why you missed class yesterday." He hoped her response would shed some light on whatever was going on with her and Drew.

"Oh, I um…" she trailed off, her eyes darting down and away from her teacher's. She clearly was desperately trying to think up an answer… a lie, most likely. Mark wondered why she would feel the need to fabricate her reason for missing class.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Cyr. It won't happen again," she promised, evading an answer at all. "I found out what the homework was from Emily," she added, referring to her friend who sat a few desks over. He nodded, and then knew he needed to get on with teaching his class.

"Okay, well… good." He smiled at her reassuringly, trying to make it clear that he appreciated that. "And if something is going on…" he paused again, noticing her eyes get just the tiniest bit wider, perhaps in some kind of fear. He instantly felt bad, since he didn't want to upset her. "I just hope you're alright. That's all," he finished. She smiled meekly, hearing him. The smile didn't really reach her eyes, and therefore didn't convince him that she was alright, but still he turned his attention back to the rest of his class. He didn't feel he had much of a choice.

"Please pass your papers to the front!" he said much louder, directing his voice toward the whole class. He headed back toward that end of the classroom, prepared to collect the homework.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Mark again managed to spy on the boy who had almost become his stepson. It looked like Drew was approaching Amy at _her_ locker, which was much farther away from Mark's classroom door than Drew's, so there was no way to overhear whatever was happening between them. He could, however, see them fairly well.

Amy's body language seemed to imply almost… indifference. She didn't seem to be mad at him, but she didn't seem to be happy to see him either. She didn't turn to look at him when he talked, but she did seem to respond. Drew was already wearing his backpack and Amy now zipped hers up and threw it over her shoulder. They started to walk away from her locker, toward the school exit. They would be walking directly past Mark, so he listened intently by the doorframe, hoping to be passed by unnoticed.

"You know I love you, right?" Drew asked. Mark thought the question didn't sound rhetorical but rather more like the boy was literally pleading for his girlfriend to confirm that she did indeed understand the fact. After a very short pause and no response from Amy, he repeated, "I love you, and… and I just want to be there for you through every step of this. Unless… do you _not_ want me to come or something?"

"I said you could come," she said simply. Mark could barely hear her at this point. They were getting out of his earshot. Yet he still managed to make out her next sentence. "Just… can you leave me alone until then?"

He could tell Drew responded but the words were unintelligible to him. They exited the school together, but not holding hands or touching in any way.

Mark returned to his empty classroom and sat down behind the large desk at the front. He ruminated upon all of it for a moment. Was he making a mountain out of a molehill? Was he really so bored and lonely with his life that he had to become completely invested in the childish love lives of his students? Was his heartache for Sarah turning him into someone who creepily stalked her son? He hoped none of that was the case. He didn't want to be getting all paranoid and overly concerned over an everyday nothingness.

The more he thought about it all though, the more it seemed like something real and serious. Amy had run away from Drew in tears, and then missed his class, which was completely out of character for her. After that, she had been unable to come up with even the most basic excuse for such a thing. Drew had mentioned something just a few moments prior about wanting to "be there for her through every step of this." The day before, Drew had told her, "It's gonna be okay," but Amy had disagreed. Something serious was going on with Amy, if not Drew, too. He finally convinced himself that of course it made sense for him to be worried for the girl, as well as for the boy who seemed to be involved in some way or another. He was justified in feeling worried. He knew he wasn't acting unreasonable. He tried to think about what might be going on with her. Something serious that "was not going to be okay." That Drew needed to be there for her through.

Maybe the girl's parents were getting divorced or something simple like that. Mark knew Drew had been through much more than his own fair share of parent-drama, but Amy's parents were still together if he recalled correctly from the "Back to School Night" at the beginning of the year. He was pretty sure the Ellis couple had been one of the few sets of parents where both the mother and father showed up to the event. Often the married parents would send only Mom or only Dad but not the parents of Amy Ellis, whom he had recognized instantly - they looked so much like her. At the time they had seemed happy, but they might have only been putting on a show which he had fallen for. The trouble in paradise also could simply be brand new. One's parents' divorce could be particularly hard on a child of any age, and maybe Amy was one of those kids who might be profoundly affected by such a change in her home life.

Mark decided to start pulling out some papers to grade. While reaching into his first period folder, another, darker thought crossed his mind. Maybe Amy was sick. Perhaps seriously sick – she could have been diagnosed with cancer or something. He knew sometimes things like that happened even to high schoolers, and often in the case of a severe diagnosis, the sick person was very hesitant to reveal the fact until the last possible second. He recalled Sarah's sister-in-law - Drew's aunt – not telling everyone until after that one baseball game, despite having known about her own breast cancer for weeks. Mark had been there at the time, and even he had felt emotional over Kristina's announcement. He remembered thinking _she_ was far too young for something so serious to be happening to her; it was unfair. But he knew, sadly but surely, cancer did not discriminate. It could come for mothers, fathers, or even beautiful children with their whole lives ahead of them… and if this girl had cancer… he didn't even want to _think_ about that being a possibility.

He started to read the homework assignment turned in by a Douglas Coyne. The handwriting was tricky to discern, as it seemed at least eighty percent of all of his male students' was. He found himself needing to correct something in red ink within the very first sentence, and sighed to himself. Some kids just could not learn even the basics, it seemed.

Around halfway through grading this assignment, a last potential reason for the Amy and Drew drama became evident. He had actually walked in on them both naked, although luckily mostly covered up by the blanket on Drew's bed, only a couple of months ago. How could he have not thought of this possibility sooner? Amy could very well be pregnant right now. He tried to think about what that might mean for both of them. They were so young. They both seemed like very responsible kids, but he knew accidental pregnancies could happen to anyone.

If Drew was dealing with any of those issues, or something else similarly serious, he knew the boy was in way over his head. He wished he could help him - wished the boy would confide in him. He cared about both of the kids, and wondered if maybe he should tell Sarah about what was going on. Sarah was his mother, and she would of course want to know that there was something very serious going on in her son's life. He knew where Sarah lived… and also where she worked. He knew could come see her whenever it was convenient for him. The idea of an excuse to see her again was something he both loved and hated at the same time.

But his thoughts returned to Drew. The boy had been essentially "tattled on" to his mother when Mark had caught him having sex. Maybe Drew felt he couldn't trust Mark to keep a secret because of that. Mark decided he needed to make it clear to Drew that he could confide _anything_ in him, and he would _not_ betray his trust and "tattle" again to Sarah, regardless of what it was. He decided the next day, Wednesday, he would approach both of the kids and make one last plea for them to let him in and allow him to help.


	4. Amy's Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, once again, to Insideavoice. This was the last chapter I got her help with. This is the last chapter that I wrote near the beginning of 2013. I didn't pick up this fic until a year later, after seemingly abandoning it. But it never left my mind. Please enjoy the last of the chapters written in 2013, here.

Wednesday morning had seemed to take forever to arrive, but once it was there, Drew felt like everything was happening much too quickly for him to even keep up. Drew didn't bother to eat anything, but rather simply woke up, threw on some clothes, and snuck out of the house before his grandparents were even awake. He felt the cool morning air as he walked toward his car through the darkness – the sun wouldn't rise for another hour. Amy had been sure to schedule the appointment at seven sharp so that they would definitely be on time for school, and therefore here Drew was, driving to pick her up at only 6:30 AM.

They drove in absolute silence, but in Drew's head, an eerie song he remembered from his dad's band played loud and clear. It was a song from their very first album. It reminded Drew a bit of Pink Floyd, or when the Beatles were in their psychedelic drug phase, but he wasn't thinking about what drugs his dad and his fellow band members may or may not have been on when they wrote the song. He was thinking about the feel of the music - the minor chords, the muted sound, the simplicity. Everything about this quiet, dark morning reminded Drew of that one song in particular, and given how he essentially memorized the album years ago, it felt too real, as if it were playing now as a CD in the car. He had no idea what Amy was thinking, but he let this song occupy all of his thoughts on the fifteen minute drive to Planned Parenthood.

Drew and Amy walked through the automatic doors together. The waiting room felt even quieter than outside, where at least there was the dull noise of traffic and a few birds chirping as they began to wake up. Because it was so early, the clinic was nearly empty. There was a woman who looked to be about twenty there, alone, and another young woman there with an older woman, most likely her mother. Drew wondered why these other three people were there. Perhaps one of them had a sexually transmitted disease. Another may have simply thought this was a convenient time to get a prescription for the pill. Maybe he and Amy were the only people currently there because of an unplanned pregnancy.

Sure enough, the pregnancy was confirmed. They were informed of the three options, although, of course, they both already had been aware of them. Abortion. Adoption. Parenting. They had _not_ already been aware of all of the specific details, though, and Drew for one really appreciated hearing them.

They got back into the car and again drove in silence, this time until they arrived in front of the school. Amy was the first one to speak. She said there was only one option. Drew instinctively put his hand on her shoulder, hoping to maybe show his support in a non-verbal way as she explained her thoughts. He had been waiting for this moment. It was her decision, after all. Right? He couldn't really have a say. He knew that it had to, ultimately, be her decision… and he respected that. He really did. So he listened.

She wanted an abortion. She wanted to make the appointment for tomorrow. She was acting like there truly was only one option. Drew couldn't help but feel as if she hadn't heard anything the kind woman in purple scrubs had told them. There were resources to help out teen moms. There were ways that they could make having a baby work. Even adoption was another option - not that Drew really wanted to consider forcing Amy to go through with an entire pregnancy simply for them to give their son or daughter away. He wouldn't want their child to be raised by other people, but… he knew people like his Aunt Julia and Uncle Joel existed and would be appreciative if someone as responsible as Amy was the person keeping a baby healthy until it was born. Still, Drew didn't want to argue. He didn't want to make his girlfriend more upset in any way. He wanted to just let her decide, and respect whatever decision it was she was making. But here she was, deciding. And he _couldn't_ just let it go.

"Yeah, I mean… she said that we… we have time, though, to think about it. Like a… a week, she said."

"To think about what?" Amy retorted. Drew hated this.

"That's not the only option," he replied, spelling it out for her. She let out a sigh in exasperation.

"If I have this baby, my life is over," she explained sharply, looking Drew right in the eye as she finished the sentence.

"It doesn't have to be over," Drew tried to reason.

"Yes-"

"No it doesn't!" Drew's argued back, raising his voice ever so slightly.

"Yes-"

"We could start a life," Drew stated strongly. Their lives wouldn't be over, but rather just beginning. It could be such a wonderful thing. Why couldn't Amy see that? He saw her face contort in frustration as he continued. "Like, I can go to college. I can get a job. You know, there are plenty of people that would be willing to help us."

Amy was shaking her head, disagreeing silently, seemingly refusing to hear a word he was saying.

He was feeling frustrated now too, but he kept on making his case. "And I love you, and that's all that matters."

She still shook her head. She wasn't going to see this side of things, not even for a second, Drew realized. She was _sure_ she wanted an abortion. She must have made up her mind long before that doctor's appointment. Drew let out a sigh in defeat.

"Look, obviously I'm gonna support you no matter what. That's all I'm saying, and... I want to make this work, but… I just don't want you to think that I'm not there for you if you decided to keep it, that's all." He felt like he was about to cry. Amy looked like she was near tears as well. At least he had gotten it all off his chest. He'd put it out there, and now… now Amy knew what he wanted. And she could take it into consideration. He watched her closely for a few moments. She sat there, took a breath, and swallowed.

"I need help coming up with the money," she told him, carefully avoiding eye contact with the boy who loved her. Drew looked away from her too. Now… now it was too painful.

"Okay," he answered simply. That was that. She was having the abortion. And now… now came the time for practical concerns. Money. They would need $350 within a week.

For about five more minutes they sat there in the car, parked in front of the school. They weren't exactly in a rush. Drew wasn't sure what Amy was thinking. She looked out the window and he couldn't help but feel… heartbroken. The disappointment was overwhelming. He was physically mourning the loss of his potential child. It was an aching tightness in his chest and it made him want to scream… or maybe it just made him want to curl up into a tiny ball. He wanted to do both, or either… whichever would help. He wanted to escape this feeling, and just get over it. This was probably for the best, and he knew that, deep down. He tried to feel grateful that Amy was strong enough to make this decision for them. They were too young to be having a baby. There was a reason they called it an "unplanned pregnancy". Kids who still lived with their own parents didn't ever actually decide to become parents themselves while in high school.

"We should probably head inside," Amy commented after a while. Drew knew she was right. Homeroom awaited, for both of them, and he was definitely grateful on this particular morning that they didn't share the same one. Drew knew he needed to attend classes, and let the school day be a comforting escape. They could worry about obtaining the cash later. He took a final breath then opened his door, leaving both the safe privacy and awful tension of being in the car with Amy. He walked quickly, getting ahead of her… away from her, not waiting to enter the school together. He didn't really feel like even looking at her right now. He couldn't. He didn't think he was strong enough.


	5. Drew Finally Confides In Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5, below, is my first new chapter in about a year. I have seen season 5 but there are no spoilers for anything past episode 4x13 of the show in this fic, because from here on out I am going in an AU direction. I did not get this chapter betaed. I merely proofread this myself. I hope no one minds. I think I've gotten pretty good at writing without needing a beta's help.
> 
> By the way, if anyone is curious, I believe the only actual Drew/Mark interactions on the show occurred in episodes 3x04, 3x16, 4x06, 4x08, and 4x13 – but having 5 episodes where they shared scenes is actually more than I might've originally thought. They really do have this relationship on the show that is explored in more than just 1 or 2 episodes. In 3x04 they don't really talk and it barely counts, but it's the infamous cell phone picture incident lol and Miles Heizer and Jason Ritter were both acting in the same scene once during the episode, however much Drew is avoiding him in the scene and not really looking as he walks by Mark & Sarah…but I am counting it as one of the Drew/Mark interactions on the show. ;)
> 
> There are also the 2 more episodes with what I believe are relevant scenes to their relationship, despite Mark and Drew not being in the scenes together.
> 
> There is a scene in 3x09 when Sarah and Mark have their first small fight, where Mark doesn't agree with Sarah's method of punishing Drew for getting a D by forbidding him from seeing Amy during the week. Mark comments on how he sees Drew and Amy together at school and how happy Amy makes Drew and how he's coming out of his shell because of his new romance with her and it's really an amazing little Mark/Drew moment, considering the fact that Mark & Drew don't actually interact in that episode. Also, in 4x07 Amy and Drew speak of Mark briefly, since this is the episode when Drew is telling Amy about how he hates the fact that he had to move in with Mr. Cyr and Amy comments on how all the girls at school are in love with Mr. Cyr and Drew agrees, everyone loves him.
> 
> Anyway… I just thought that might be kind of interesting to you Parenthood fans lol.
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter! It's all Mark's point of view.

Mark saw Drew enter the school. The boy wasn't even looking where he was going, and he walked straight into a fellow student. The teacher stared in his direction with concern, wondering where his girlfriend was. They always entered together. Drew opened his locker, did what he needed to concerning his books, and then he… lingered way too long at the thing. Mark was worried and walked toward him, slowly. Drew was standing still, his face buried in his locker.

"Drew?" Mark asked softly, pulling the boy out of his trance.

Drew hastily wiped his tear away from his eye, hoping Mr. Cyr wouldn't notice, but his hopes were in vain.

"Drew," Mark repeated, this time sympathetically. "Come with me," he said, gesturing for the boy to follow him.

Mark didn't lead him into his classroom. They walked straight past that doorway, and Drew seemed confused.

"I just thought we could use somewhere private to talk," the English teacher explained, and then he led the boy into the teacher's lounge.

It was a small room, one only ever used when some select teachers chose to eat their lunches together. Other teachers just used empty classrooms, but in this all-but-forgotten lounge, there was very old and stained beige carpeting on the floors. On top of that carpet there were two tables, with five chairs at each. It was nothing spectacular, but it was a room that Drew had never been in before.

"Let's sit down," Mark suggested, and Drew complied. Mark looked at him and could tell he was not thrilled about where this was heading.

"I want to promise you something, Drew," he began, once they were both seated at a table. "You can tell me anything at all, and I swear I will not tell your mother. We're not dating anymore. My main loyalties are to the students at this school."

Drew looked up at him, searching his eyes. He seemed very torn about whether or not he should tell this man his secret.

"I'm listening," Mark insisted. Just then, the bell rang, signifying a warning that class would start in five minutes. Drew squirmed in his seat.

"I'll write you a note," Mark assured him. He'd be excused if he was late.

"I don't think Amy would want you to know…" Drew commented, trying to explain his hesitation.

Mark thought he understood, and nodded knowingly.

"I'm her teacher, and you are afraid she'll find out you told me something personal about her life?" he asked. Mark knew whatever was going on was something directly affecting Amy. Amy was the one who had missed class that one day and then had failed to even come up with an excuse for her absence. Amy was the one who thought things wouldn't be okay. But Drew… Drew was the one who had literally hid in his locker less than five minutes ago as a tear fell from his eye. Drew needed to talk to someone about this.

"Drew, if you don't want Amy to know that I know, I'll respect that. Please, just let me know what's going on."

The teenager nodded, his eyes pointed downwards. "Okay. Well… um…" he glanced up at the teacher for a second, then darted his gaze away again. "Amy's pregnant," he said simply. Then he looked up into the man's eyes to gauge his reaction.

Mark shot the boy a sympathetic smile, having been prepared for this as a potential reason for all of the angst he'd been witnessing these past few days. He waited for Drew to continue.

"I… she…" Drew faltered, not sure how to express any more of his thoughts.

"And no one knows except the two of you?" Mark asked, not really needing an answer. He had gathered that much was true.

Drew nodded. "This morning we went to Planned Parenthood to officially confirm the pregnancy… and they told us our three options… you know?"

"Mm-hmm," Mark replied.

"But it's like she didn't even listen to them, she doesn't need any time to think, she's already made up her mind. She probably did before she even told me she was pregnant. I mean she'd already bought a test and took it before even telling me and…" Drew took a breath, realizing he was talking a-mile-a-minute, letting thoughts spill out of him without giving any of them a second thought. Another tear escaped and like the one he'd shed at his locker, he quickly wiped it away.

"Oh, Drew…" Mark responded, not really sure what to say. He paused, trying to figure out how their conversation should proceed. "So you said Amy's already made up her mind?"

"She doesn't want to have the baby," Drew said in a near whisper.

Mark could tell by the way he said it that it was breaking his heart. He wasn't sure what he could say that wouldn't make it worse.

They sat there in silence for almost a whole minute, and Drew seemed to relax more as the seconds passed. Getting these thoughts and feelings off of his chest did seem to be what he'd needed.

Finally, Mark decided to speak.

"It _is_ going to be okay," he told him reassuringly.

Drew smiled meekly. "I know."

Mark thought about the wonderful Braverman family, everyone from Sarah to… all of Drew's uncles and cousins… and he decided to give the kid one piece of actual advice.

"I wouldn't be afraid to share this with someone in your family," Mark said simply. "You know them all better than me," he said softly, "but I'm pretty sure they'd want to help in whatever way they could."

Drew nodded, seeming to agree. "I was gonna maybe… tell Amber," he said quietly. "Because, well… we need to ask _someone_ for some money," he admitted.

Mark realized the cost of an abortion must be what Drew was referring to.

"Oh," he replied. "Um… I could… if you needed me to…"

Drew shook his head. "Thanks Mr. Cyr, but…" he trailed off for a few moments. Mark felt sure he was resisting the urge to tell him that it'd be really weird and inappropriate for _him_ to be the one paying for Amy's abortion. "I'm sure my sister can help us, and if she can't… you know that I have quite a few other family members I could ask," he commented.

* * *

Mark did write Drew a note to excuse his tardiness, and later in the day when he saw Amy in his class, he tried as hard as he could to not treat her any differently than anyone else. It was hard, knowing this secret, but he knew he owed it to Drew. Besides, he didn't want to upset Amy, which he was sure would happen if he revealed he knew too much. So he let her leave his classroom and go on about her day without him ever even speaking a word to her. Nothing to comfort her through this difficult experience, nothing to let her know he was there. He hoped Drew being there for her was enough, and that the girl would be okay. He sincerely hoped so. He remembered the college recommendation letter he'd written for her. Everything he'd said had been positive. He'd truthfully written that he'd seen a bright future ahead for her, and he was glad that same future would still be a possibility for her. But he was also so sad for both her and Drew. He wished no students in high school would ever have to go through what they were going through right then. It was too much. They were still children!

Back at home in his apartment later that evening, the kids completely consumed Mark's thoughts. They'd actually been together in that very apartment multiple times. He wondered how Drew talking to Amber was going. He wondered if Sarah would ever find out what was going on. He wondered if he'd done the right thing for both Drew and Amy earlier that day. He wondered when she would get the abortion. He couldn't stop thinking about them for most of the night. But he knew what he'd said to Drew was true. They would get through this. And in the end, they would be okay.


	6. Telling Amber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is back to Drew's point of view.

Drew walked up to Amber's apartment and then paused. He needed to prepare himself for this conversation. He needed to... just breathe. He raised his hand up and proceeded to knock gently on the door.

She answered in no time. "Drew!" she excitedly said, surprised to see her little brother. "Come on in." She stepped out of the way to provide room for him to walk by her. "What brings you by this evening?" It was a school night, it was not a normal thing for Drew to do… he hadn't even called ahead…

"Um…" Drew began hesitantly. Immediately Amber's ears picked up that something serious was going on.

"What is it?" she asked gently, her chipper tone now replaced by one of sisterly concern. "Did you need my help with something? Advice? I'm all ears," she finished, and then she waited patiently for Drew to respond.

After a few seconds of silence, Drew finally told her what he needed. "I know it's a lot to ask for, but I wanted to um… borrow… some money," he mumbled.

"How much money?" she asked skeptically.

"Three-hundred and fifty dollars," he said flatly, looking at her seriously.

"That's a lot of money. What do you need it for? Why didn't you ask Mom?" She seemed pretty worried, and Drew could see her mind churning, trying to figure out what her little brother could possibly need that amount of money for. And why he'd come by on a school night to request it.

"Um… Amy…" Drew hesitated, not sure how best to tell Amber what was going on. It was surprisingly difficult to get the words out. "She's pregnant," he finally said. "And we need the money for…" he trailed off, hoping his sister could fill in the blank herself.

"An abortion?" Amber breathed, her eyes going wide. Drew hated that his sister was reacting this way, but he'd been prepared for the inevitable shock that her brother had gotten a girl pregnant. Amber didn't know Amy all that well, but well enough that she knew not to judge Amy unfairly by this knowledge that she was about to have… well, _that_. Drew was also glad his sister hadn't forced him to say the word himself.

"Come here," Amber said. "Sit down." They sat at the table in the middle of her apartment. "So first of all, don't worry about the money. Okay? I'm gonna get it for you. It's not a problem."

"I'm sorry that I'm asking you for it," Drew replied.

"Shh. Drew…" Amber tried to hush him. "Don't think any more about it, okay?"

"I just…" he trailed off. He wanted to make it clear that he wished he didn't need to ask her for it. But he didn't want to tell anyone else. Not his mom. Not his grandparents. Not Uncle Adam. They probably would lecture him about birth control. They probably wouldn't be able to keep it to themselves and tell other family members. No, Amber was the only person he could really trust to not make him feel like such an epic failure as a person – the only person who would really keep this information to herself. And he and Amy really did need that money. Amber put her hand on Drew's shoulder comfortingly.

"How's Amy? Is… is she alright?" Amber asked, and Drew really appreciated that his sister was concerned for her well being, too. It was nice to know that he wasn't the only person in the world caring about how Amy was doing throughout this whole ordeal.

"No, she's… she's like shut down…." He didn't know how else to say it. He really did not think she was alright, though. "I just feel so stupid, you know? Like it's my fault, and I-"

"Drew, it happens, but it's gonna be okay. I promise. Okay?" Amber continued to comfortingly touch Drew's shoulder then slid down to hold onto his arm for a moment. "I mean how are you feeling?"

"I just… I just don't want to go through with it, you know?" Amber nodded understandingly. Drew continued, "I don't know. I don't… I don't want to… um…" He started to cry. "You know, I don't want to give it up, but I'm trying to respect how she feels! It's just hard." He hated how much his voice was breaking. But Amber was being too loving, it was too easy to just let his emotions out right then and there.

"Amy's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine, okay?"

"Yeah," Drew replied. He took a deep breath as Amber stood up and embraced him in a little hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

They let go of each other and then Drew decided to reveal something else to her.

"Mr. Cyr knows too," he informed her.

"What?" Amber's surprise was evident in her tone.

"Yeah," Drew confirmed. "He… he saw me and Amy in the hallway right after she'd um… told me, and-"

"Wait. She told you at school?"

"Um… yeah in the car right before we got out to go into the school."

Amber let that sink in for a moment, but didn't express whatever she was thinking.

"And," Drew finally continued, "I don't know… Mr. Cyr just knew something was wrong. Amy skipped class and… he took me into the teacher's lounge and promised he wouldn't tell Mom and if I didn't want Amy to know that he knew then she wouldn't and stuff, so I… I told him."

"Wow," Amber said. "He's a cooler guy than I thought."

"Yeah, I know," Drew said with a meek smile.

Amber stood up and walked over to where she kept most of her cash. "Um… here's two-hundred dollars," she said, handing him a wad of ten twenty-dollar bills. For the rest, we're gonna need to go to an ATM.

"Wait… will you have any money leftover at all?" Drew asked, concerned. "I know three-fifty is a lot to ask for…"

Amber tried to shush him and shoo away his concerns. "I told you not to worry about the money. I'm getting it for you."

"Please, Amber, tell me. How much money will you have left once I take all three-hundred-and-fifty bucks?"

"Um… well I already have the groceries I need for a while, and I'll get another paycheck soon enough, so…"

"Amber!" Drew interrupted.

"Okay, well actually I only have about three hundred in my checking account right now…"

"So I'm really asking for too much, aren't I?" Drew asked.

"It is a bit much for me," Amber reluctantly admitted. "But don't worry. I'll get a new paycheck soon enough for about six-hundred dollars. I'll catch up in no time. I'm fully prepared to give you the money," she insisted.

"If I have to, I can get the money from someone else," he reassured her. A part of him wanted an excuse to have to maybe… talk to their mom about all of this.

"No," Amber told him firmly. "It's fine. Let's go to the ATM now. I'm getting you the money."

Drew smiled and they headed out together.

* * *

The next morning, Drew picked up Amy to take her to school, and once they were in the car together, he presented her with the money.

"I got it," he told her. "But we still don't have to go through with this, if you maybe changed you mind?" he asked, hopefully.

"I'm not changing my mind, Drew," Amy told him loud and clear. Continuing, she lowered her tone a few decibels. "Thanks for finding a way to get the money." She looked into his eyes, a little bit of fear showing. "Did you have to… tell someone the truth in order to… you know?"

"Yeah," Drew admitted. "I only told my sister," he fibbed. Hopefully she'd never find out that Mr. Cyr also knew. "She won't tell anyone else. And she got us the money."

Amy closed her eyes, her embarrassment all over her face. She clearly hated the idea that anyone else had to know that she was pregnant and going to get an abortion. She then nodded, though. She understood why Drew had needed to explain what the money was for.

"Well… I will make the appointment after school today, I guess," Amy said. "Hopefully they can get me in for sometime really soon. Today even, or tomorrow."

Drew didn't respond. He didn't really hope for that. He wanted Amy to have as much time as possible to… maybe change her mind?

They drove to school in awkward silence, and Drew felt more alone than ever, despite Amy being less than three feet away from him the entire time. They both entered the school at about the same time, but a random onlooker would never guess that they were actually a couple – they didn't even look at each other before parting ways to head toward their own separate lockers. Drew caught Mr. Cyr's eye for a second, and then quickly looked away. When Amy had completely disappeared from the hallway into her own homeroom classroom, Mr. Cyr approached Drew at his locker.

"You still doing okay?" he asked quietly.

Drew nodded. "I got the money from Amber. We'll be fine," he said calmly, hoping none of his classmates noticed him talking to this man for the third time that week, a man who didn't even have Drew in any of his classes. Hastily, he added, "Thanks."

Drew quickly walked away. He knew he was sort of avoiding the heart of the teacher's question. Was _he_ , Drew, doing okay, emotionally? No, he was still a wreck. But he didn't need him to know that. It wouldn't solve anything. Still, he appreciated the concern. It felt good to have the man looking out for him. He felt a little less alone through all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me a review on the chapter! Chapter 7 will be posted asap. But while you're waiting…
> 
> If you like fanvideos, I'm a vidder – luvtheheaven5 on YouTube, and I also started and run the Parenthood collab group (we make collaboration fanvideos where many of us work together to make each single vid) ParenthoodProdz.
> 
> I also have a different YouTube channel for my vids about FOX tv shows like Glee, Bones, The. O.C., etc because they are extra-copyrighted. That YouTube channel is luvtheheavenFOX4.
> 
> Please search on YouTube: "luvtheheavenFOX4 drew amy" (no quotation marks) and you'll find 2 videos of mine.
> 
> You'll find my 100% Drew/Amy vid that I made using only up through episode 4x13 of the show (because 4x15 and season 5 hadn't aired yet). I am quite proud of that fanvideo of mine and it was posted to luvtheheaven5 but you should find it with that search.
> 
> You'll also find my vid about 4 teenage pregnancy storylines on TV shows – in the fanvid I included Drew/Amy as well as a FOX storyline, Quinn's on Glee, which is why it's on that luvtheheavenFOX4 channel of mine. I also vid a Skins storyline (the UK tv series) and a storyline from Friday Night Lights. (The FNL storyline includes the character of Luke as the father of the baby, and Luke was played by Matt Lauria – the actor who ended up being cast to play Ryan on Parenthood!)
> 
> I'd love to get more comments on those 2 vids of mine. I also have vidded Parenthood many other times, and on my luvtheheaven5 YouTube channel I have a whole playlist of all of my Parenthood vidding. It'd mean a ton to me if someone who found me only through my fic writing then watched my videos because of this author's note haha.


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